Flexible chairs



FLEXIBLE CHAIRS Filed May' 13,

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Decnll, 1956 c. A. DUSENBURY FLEXIBLE CHAIRS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 13, 1953 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS chair frame.

United States Patent FLEXIBLE CHAIRS George A. Dusenbury, Saluda, N. C.

Application May 13, 1953, Serial No. 354,844

3 Claims. (Cl. 155-187) such flexible furniture comfort is obtainable only when the body is evenly supported so that there are no loads to tense the body muscles and no points of furniture pressure to cause body discomfort. Heretofore even support of the body has been accomplished through the use of cushions comprising compressible springs, pads, or a combination of springs and pads, supported on a rigid Such chair manufacture has been a laborious procedure, and the finished product has been characterized by excessive weight.

To reduce manufacturing costs and the weight of the finished product, chairs have been devised using flexible material, such as canvas, for the body engaging portions, this flexible material being slung between rigid, or semirigid, frame members. However, such chairs have not been successful from a comfort standpoint, for even body support has been largely overlooked. In some of these chairs the design has permitted flexibility of the frame to absorb a portion of the sitters weight, but soft, buoyant cushioning throughout seat and back has largely-depended upon the resilience of body engaging cushions in compression.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of my invention to provide a flexible chair of light weight which gives uni- "form body support and which may be manufactured economically with a minimum of labor. This object is accomplished by employing a chair design embodying a flexible material for the body engaging portions and a resilient frame upon which this material is slung. In my novel chair the frame is the sole source of cushioning, and

.uniform' body support is assured.

Thus, it is an object of my invention to provide a chair having flexible seat and back portions fixed on a resilient frame which will permit relaxation or tightening of the seat and back according to the distributed weight of the sitter. I accomplish this object by fabricating a chair frame comprising a first upstanding resilient U-shaped 7 member to form the front legs and a second similar U-shaped member to form the rear legs. Between the upper portions of corresponding front and rear leg members L-shaped side members are connected, and it is between these L-shaped side members that the flexible seat and back material is slung to form seat and back membranes. The side members are so connected that application of weight to the seat membrane only will cause it to sag downwardly, with a corresponding tightening of the back membrane. If the sitter then leans backwardly, the back membrane will tend to sag according to the weight distribution.

Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the description which follows, read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the preferred embodiment of my novel chair;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the chair shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross section, partly broken away, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of my improved chair showing in dotted lines the movement of the chair upon the application of weight to the seat portion;

Figure 6 is a plan view showing in full and dotted lines the respective portions of the chair in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a front elevation of my chair showing in full lines the position of the respective chair members upon the application of weight to the seat of the chair and showing in dotted lines the final position of the chair members when weight is applied to the back member; and

Figure 8 is a plan view showing in full and dotted lines the respective portions of the chair in Figure 7.

To facilitate an understanding of my invention, one embodiment thereof is described in the specification and shown-in the accompanying drawings. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the invention is thereby intended and that various changes and alterations are contemplated such as would ordinarily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of my flexible chair structure is shown. A resilient chair frame structure is employed, this structure being designed to absorb the the weight of a sitter in accordance with the distribution of weigh on the seat and back members. The frame comprises two resilient U-spring members 1 and 2 and a transverse member 3 fixed to and connecting the U-spring members. Each U-spring comprises two upstanding legs, as portions 1a and 1b of spring 1, and a web portion between the upstanding portions as shown at 10. Each upstanding member serves as one chair leg, the upstanding members of spring 1 serving as the front legs and the upstanding members of spring 2 serving as the rear legs.

In my preferred embodiment the terminal ends of the upstanding spring portions are bent outwardly, as at 1d and 12, to serve as support members for the arm rests 4 movement to such spring portions by bolts 7 passing through the arm rest and through the elongated aperture in the outwardly extending spring portion. These connection details are best seen at 7 in Figures 3 and 4. This method of connecting the arm rest allows relative movement between the arm rests and the U-shaped springs so that the resilience of the springs is not impeded by the arm rest connections.

The support frame hereinbefore described serves as a mounting for the seat and back portions 8 and 9, respectively, of the chair.

The seat and back portions comprise flexible membranes of canvas or the like; supported on and extending between the substantially L-shaped members 10 and 11. The L-shaped members 10 and 11 may be fabricated from any suitable material, such as rod stock, and preferably each member is pivotally secured to one front leg and its corresponding rear leg. As seen in Figure 2, the front leg attachment is made on the seat portion of the L-rod at a point intermediatethe seat ends. The rear leg attachment is made on the back portion of the L-rod at a point fairly close to the bottom of the back. Preferably these connections comprise eyebolts, as shown at 12 in Figure 4 or 14 in Figure 3, the eye portion of which encompasses the L-shaped. rod and the shank portion of WhlCh extends through an aperture on the upstanding front and rear spring portions. A nut threaded on the -eye'bolt, as at 13 in Figure 4 or in Figure 3, serves to complete the union, adjustment of the nut determining tension of the seat and back membranes and the U-spring members. 5

In conventional flexible chairs of the class described application of weight to the seat portion tends to cause the seat membrane to bulge downwardly and in turn effects a corresponding sagging of the back membrane. Because of the resilient frame structure hereinbefore described uniform support is providedby seat and back membranes 8 and 9 according to the load distribution on these membranes, and there is no corresponding sagging of the back membrance when weight is applied to the seat alone. Referring to Figures 5 and 6, my chair is shown in full lines when in a non-loaded state. application of a load to the seat, membrane 8 will tend to bulge as shown in dotted lines 8a of Figure 5, and the upstanding portions 1a and 1b of front U-spring 1 will be drawn toward each other. Thus, L members 10 and 11 will be pivoted about their points of union to spring- 2 at A and B effecting a tightening of back membrane 9 so that the chair assumes the position shown by dotted dines in Figures 5 and 6 and by full lines in Figures 7 and 8. If the sitter then leans back his weight will tend to bulge membrane 9 as in the dotted lines 9a of Figure 8. Such bulging of membrane 9 tends to draw the back portions of L-rods 10 and 11 toward each other and correspondingly draws the upstanding portions of U-spring 2 together. In this manner L-members 10 and 11 will be pivoted about their points of union to spring 1 at C and D. Thus, bulging or flexing of membranes 8 and 9 is effected according to the body contour of a sitter through the natural resiliency of the upstanding leg portions of the frame U-springs, resiliency of the U-springs permitting angular shifting of the L-members relative to one another.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letter Patent is:

Upon

1. In a flexible chair a support frame, said frame c0m- 'connecting each said member to an upper portion of a front leg and an upper portion of the corresponding rear leg; and flexible material slung between said L-shaped' rods, said L-shaped members being coupled to each other only through said support frame and said flexible ma terial.

2. In a flexible chair a support frame, said frame comprising a first resilient U-shaped member having a ground engaging web and upstanding portions forming front legs, a second resilient U-shaped member having a ground engaging web and upstanding portions forming rear legs, the terminal ends of such front and rear upstanding portions being bent outwardly of the chair, two arm rests, each arm rest being pivotally connected to the terminal end of a front upstanding portion and the terminal end of its corresponding rear upstanding portion, and means connecting the webs of said first and second U-shaped members; two substantially L-shaped members each being separate from one another, means pivotally connecting each L-shaped member to an upper portion of a front leg and an upper portion of the corresponding rear leg; and flexible material slung between such L-shaped members, said L-shaped members being coupled to each other only through said support frame and said flexible material.

3. In a flexible chair a support frame, said frame comprising a first resilient U-shaped member having a ground engaging web and upstanding portions forming front legs, a second resilient U-shaped member having a ground engaging web and upstanding portions forming rear legs, the terminal ends of said front and rear upstanding portions being bent outwardly of the chair, two arms rests, .each arm rest being connected to the terminal end of a front upstanding portion for relative movement thereto and the terminal end of its corresponding rear upstanding portion for relative movement thereto, and means connecting the webs of said first and second U-shaped members; two substantially L- shaped members each being separate from one another, means pivotally connecting each L-shaped member to an upper portion of a front leg and an upper portion of the the corresponding rear leg; and flexible material slung between such L-shaped members, said L-shaped members being coupled to each other only through said support frame and said flexible material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,524,264 Lee Jan. 27, 1925 7 1,974,948 Brown Sept. 25, 1934 2,512,353 Magaldino et al. June 20, 1950 Y 2,549,869 Voelker et al Apr. 24, 1951 2,701,607 Andreef Feb. 8, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 279,877 Switzerland Dec. 31, 1951 641,065 Great Britain Aug 2, 1950 696,049 France Oct. 7, 1930 

